In a filing Friday, they said the intelligence-gathering program targeted Muslims based solely on their religion and without any suspicion of wrongdoing.

They argued that the federal lawsuit should go forward, saying the NYPD
program subjected them to unfair discrimination and reduced participation by mosque
congregants.

The plaintiffs include Muslim individuals and organizations. The suit was the first to directly challenge the NYPD's surveillance programs that targeted Muslim neighborhoods, chronicling the daily life of where people ate, prayed and got their hair cut.

The city's lawyers argue the program was legal and note New Jersey's attorney general found that no state laws were violated.